Barty and Dellacqua converted on all five of their break point chances in their 62 64 semifinal defeat of Varvara Lepchenko and Zheng Saisai on Wednesday. Before taking the field by storm this fortnight, the Australians had only paired up once in a WTA event - reaching the semifinals of Brisbane last year. While the 16-year-old Barty is playing in just her fourth WTA doubles event and first final, this is not the 27-year-old Dellacqua's first taste of success at a Grand Slam - having been runner-up alongside Francesca Schiavone at the 2008 French Open.

Barty and Dellacqua will certainly have their hands full in the final, as Errani and Vinci are the top-ranked team in the world. The Italians also were 62 64 semifinal winners over fourth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina a round after outlasting 13-time Grand Slam champions Serena and Venus Williams. It was their fourth win in four meetings with the Russians, improving their record in Grand Slam semifinals to 4-0. Also, they are now 24-2 in Grand Slam matches dating back to the 2012 Australian Open.

The 2012 French Open and US Open champions are seeking their third major and 14th WTA title as a duo. Runners-up here last year, Errani and Vinci are also looking to become the first pair of Italians to capture the Australian Open, though Flavia Pennetta was triumphant in 2011 alongside Argentina's Gisela Dulko.